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Friday, 16 March 2012

Lily Collins is the latest budding LA based actress to make a significant impact on the fashion industry- this month she is on the cover of an impressive three magazines- Seventeen, Nylon and The LA Times. She is styled in three completely different but lovely looks for her stint as most popular covergirl of March- for Nylon she bears a rocker edge, wearing a gorgeous Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 detachable peter pan collar with a black leather peplum top that adds a hint of fierce. I love the combination of the two and love that the top is actually by high street brand H&M! This outfit shows how you can mix low-end prices with just a touch of designer for a catwalk look. For Seventeen Lily looks cute and innocent with a hint of boho/chic, posing in a serene garden in delicate dresses and with flowers in her hair. Finally, for LA Times, she models funky, colourful and dramatic pieces from the likes of Vera Wang and Nina Ricci; in her second editorial picture she wears a L'Wren Scott cream lace shirt with a vibrant Peter Som chiffon tiered feather skirt. She also models a L'Wren Scott blouse under a Vera Wang vest, paired with an organza and tulle drawstring bubble skirt in electric blue, also by Wang.
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Photo courtesy of Nylon Magazine

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Photo courtesy of Seventeen Magazine

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Photo courtesy of Seventeen Magazine

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Photos courtesy of The LA Times

The daughter of music legend Phil Collins, Lily is a twenty-two year old with a lot to put on her list of accomplishments. Although born in Guildford, Surrey, she is currently studying broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California- brains and beauty! Lily has juggled her love for writing and her talent for acting all her life. Whilst in high school she wrote a column (titled NY Confidential) for Elle Girl magazine-after simply calling them up and asking for one!- and she has contributed to Teen Vogue, LA Times and Seventeen. Lily has also been acting since she was just two years old when appearing in a BBC series called 'Growing Pains', and she now has three films- and several others in production- under her belt, including last year's 'Abduction' starring Taylor Lautner and the much-anticipated 'Mirror Mirror' with Julia Roberts which is out this April. After being dressed by Chanel for the Bal des Débutantes Charity Ball in Paris when she was just seventeen, in what was definitely one of her most notable fashion moments, it was pretty much inevitable that Lily would become a young fashion icon. It is not hard to see why Karl Lagerfeld snapped her up; with her mane of beautiful dark hair and her trademark thick eyebrows Lily is undoubtedly a head-turner. And her flare for fashion, as demonstrated in her writing for high-fashion magazines, is also clearly visible in her wardrobe choices. At a soiree celebrating her Nylon cover this month, Lily dished her style secrets (as seen on her website: lilycollins.us) and revealed her favourite designers to be Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Chanel. She also said: "Monique L’huillier has always been one where I drive by the store and go 'I want to wear that one day.'" In fact she chose one of the designer's amazing dresses to make an entrance in at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in February, when she stunned in a floor-length, nude and blue floral embroidered gown.﻿

That incredible Monique L'huillier gown

Lily has a fresh, youthful and individual look that favours vintage dresses, a lot of girly lace, a fun dose of neon and laidback pieces such as a leather jacket and jeans. As well as the big names she listed, she often wears less established labels such as Carven, Honor and ADAM that all stick to her signature feminine but edgy look. At website lilycollins.us, she describes her style as a bit mix and match and seems very down to earth, naming products, clothing and accessories she can't live without as: "...hand creams, sunscreen, a good lip balm. Also a big comfy sweater, a good pair of jeans and a pair of boots. You can never go wrong with those. … Oh, and then I’d probably need like a tank top." Her style is cute yet cool, sophisticated yet relaxed, quirky but on-trend, and I love it. Check out some of her enviable looks below!

At the Chanel Pre-Oscar Party 2012, Lily opted for a ballerina style, frothy, pink, chiffon skirt by Chanel, teamed with simple but sophisticated black accessories and made tougher with a leather jacket with futuristic silver edged sleeves.

Lily attended the Marni for H&M launch party back in february wearing this gorgeous Marni Spring 2012 frock, in one of the must-have pastel colours of this season-minty green. I am in love with this dress! Its structured high neck and A-line hem is so flattering and the white clutch and matching Manolo Blahniks with cute ankle detail compliment the dress perfectly.

I love this Chanel brightly-hued tweed shift dress on Lily- it looks youthful and totally chic teamed with simple opaques, black shoes and a clutch. And of course, her enviable waves!

Lily showed off her quirky and fun style in this colourful Carven dress from their spring 2012 collection at the Seminar Broadway opening night last year. Her bold but sweet print dress with a signature Peter Pan colour in a contrasting cobalt colour is styled with beige Mulberry Resort 2012 bow front courts, and she is carrying the aptly named 'Lily' bag by Mulberry.

At the 'Abduction’ promotional tour in Paris last September, Lily hit the red runway in this feminine, Chanel, navy taffeta dress with a fab peplum waist and a decorative embellished bow. The back of the dress is also a cut-out back, which she emphasised with a simple polished bun. She added black Louboutins to complete her look.

To attend the Vanity Fair Oscar party of the previous year, Lily wore this stunning charcoal and silver strapless frock by ADAM, with an embroidered bustier and a luxe metallic skirt. She accessorized with a glam Raven Kauffman Couture antique gold clutch, and Sergio Rossi nude patent peep-toe slingback heels.

Lily debuted a more casual look in April 2011 at a WonderCon event in California, wearing a gorgeous white Theory blazer from the label’s spring/summer 2011 collection. She paired the fitted blazer with a pretty silk patterned top, staple black skinnies and angular tan wedges, creating an effortlessly cool look.﻿

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

I am totally in love with Chloés Fall '12 collection, showcased yesterday afternoon in the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries. Creative director Clare Waight Keller, who took over from Hannah MacGibbon last May, delivered a collection with that gorgeous sense of effortless feminity and vivacious sophistication that the brand is renowned for. What I love about the brand, is how the clothes are super-girly yet there is a playful edge- a slight boyish charm- this time represented by the rocky music the girls walked to, the structured coats and take on sports luxe. The clothes were soft and slouchy with lots of finely cut, straight lines, giving a polished feel, and they came in dainty hues of lemon, pastel pink, nectarine and egg-shell blue. The sugary colours of spring are definitely being taken through to fall- something I am very happy about, as being a pastel lover, I wear these sorts of colours all year round anyway! Wine red, warm butterscotch and even a dose of multi-colour in the form of a thick jumper were also added to the appealing colour palette. The clothes themselves varied from silky blouses and drop-waist skirts and dresses to curved coats and jogging style bottoms- all of which exuded the breezy attitude of the Chloé girl. The girls looked radiant with their dewy skin and tousled hair, obviously styled naturally to show off the artistry of the clothes.

The collection was split into girlish pieces and stronger, structured designs in the form of outerwear. Gathered skirts, tailored trousers and lace embossed and flower appliqued tops and dresses catered for the ultra-girly Chloé girl, while voluminous, military-esque parka coats offered another appeal. The sportswear influence came from Waight Keller's own experience as a Brit in Paris- she explained that her aim was to mix the 'casual vibe of English sportswear with the dressier sensibilty of the French'. This formed the concept of pairing red knit sweatpants with cuffed bottoms with a bell-sleeve appliquéd blouse, a shiny sports luxe style skirt with an elasticated hem with a shirt and fitted blazer and a quilted midi skirt with a floral embroidered sweater. High necked knits in inviting neutrals were a reoccuring piece and a strength of the collection- hardly surprisingly as Waight Keller previously worked as Creative Director at Pringle of Scotland. My other favourite pieces were the fabulously cosy-looking, peach duffel coat trimmed in camel that opened the show, a turquoise bomber jacket made of luxe wool and with a statement collar, and a breath-takingly beautiful cream lace coat.